863. What a Carve Up!

What a Carve Up!
Jonathan Coe
1994
Around 505 pages

"Carve up" to me sounds like some old British phrase, like "that Millicent is such a card!" Such is my arrogance that I just assumed my definition was correct after picking this up from the library, and began to casually try to work it into conversation. When I sat down to read the novel, I realized my definition was..ahem...a bit off. 

Godfrey Winshaw is shot down by German anti-aircraft fire during a secret wartime mission over Berlin, in 1942. His sister Tabitha alleges that he was betrayed by their brother Lawrence, but no one believes her, and she is committed to a mental institution, because where else would we send women we disagree with? 19 years later, after a party to mark the 50th birthday of their other brother Mortimer, Lawrence is attacked in the night by an intruder. Michael Owen, is commissioned by Tabitha to write a history of the Winshaw family. Michael prefers to stay in his London flat watching videotapes of old films – in particular the 1961 British comedy What a Carve Up! "Carve up" meaning bloody series of murders...again, oops.

He really hit the ground running with this one. I was immediately hooked on the characters and the story. Coe is a fearless writer, unafraid to take risks with his storytelling, and I was genuinely shocked by the ending, even though it made perfect sense with the characters he built. I love the integration of horror and comedy. I was also moved by Michael's connection to the movie. I think we can all identify a work of art we experienced when we were children, that dictates how we view things in our adulthood. 

I would have never discovered this novel without the List, so all hail The Powers That Be! Sorry I complain about you so much, and will continue to do so.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Adapted for radio and theater.

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